
The poor, misunderstood crab. Its pinching claws and scuttling gait give rise to the description of a grouchy person: crabby. Astrologers characterize those born under the zodiac sign of Cancer (a crab) as prone to hide in their shells.
But food lovers know the truth. Hard on the outside, yet lushly yielding within, crab is the perfect metaphor for hidden opportunity. Its plump, pearlescent and (granted) hard-to-pick-out flesh mingles briny ocean with earthy sweetness.
The world holds approximately 6,800 species of crabs, but blue, Dungeness and Alaskan king prevail on American platters.
These species generate more rivalries than World Series contenders. Blue-crab fans label Dungeness flavor as insipid, Dungeness loyalists lament that blues require too much work for too little meat, while everyone complains king crab is too expensive. Each side proclaims its crab the sweetest.
Blue, Dungeness and king crabs all rate as sustainable “best choices” or “good alternatives” on the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch list. And despite crab’s sweetness, a four-ounce portion packs just 120 calories. The fussiness of nutcrackers and teensy forks notwithstanding, the meal is worth it.
“You do have to work it,” says Lori French, president of Central Coast Women for Fisheries, and also a wife, mother and daughter-in-law of Dungeness crab fishermen. “But it’s delicious and lends itself to a slow, conversational dinner.”
1Blue Crab: The Shore Thing
2Uncle Frank’s Crab Cakes
3Dungeness Crab: Best of the West Coast
4Dungeness Crabmeat Ragout
5King Crabs: Captains of the North
6Wok-Fried King Crab with Lemongrass and Ginger
7Know Your Crab